


Prince of the Pine Trees

by cottoncandyfacade



Category: Camp Camp (Web Series)
Genre: Angst, Backstory, Bonding over trauma, Caretaker David, Child Neglect, Childhood, Daniel needs a lot of hugs, Daniel/David - Freeform, Danvid, Drama, Fluff, Hurt/Comfort, It'll get fluffier later, Little Danny, M/M, Minor Character Death, Suicide, This'll start off reeeeally sad, Torture Flashbacks, Two cuties with bad childhoods
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-03-25
Updated: 2018-09-01
Packaged: 2019-04-08 00:34:49
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 4
Words: 6,323
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14093145
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/cottoncandyfacade/pseuds/cottoncandyfacade
Summary: Daniel and David meet up again after summer ends and with Cameron gone and David taking ownership, David's no longer afraid to have Daniel around, even if he doesn't seem as chipper as he was during the summer. After they date and the next summer rolls around, no one in Camp Campbell is too pleased to hear about Daniel being back. And so Daniel decides to come up with an insane way to convince the camp why he's here.It's for religious purposes, of course. David's the Prince of the Pine Trees.





	1. Far Away

**Author's Note:**

> WARNING FOR A SUPER SAD OPENING CHAPTER HAHA, WHOOPS
> 
> I reskinned, modified and added to an OC's background story I wrote months ago because I genuinely think it fits Daniel better and it was a great way to set up his later indoctrination into the cult. 
> 
> Warning for mental illness, mentions of violence, what could possibly be classified as child abuse and neglect and of course, the adorableness that is little Danny.
> 
> Comments and kudos are always appreciated! Especially since they help make me write more chapters-

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Daniel's beginnings.

Daniel was 3 years old when Daddy tried to come into the house. He only knew it was Daddy because he got a glimpse and saw a man with eyes as blue as his own and the man kept insisting he was Daniel's father and that he should be able to see his own son. But Mommy said no. She said no and she threatened to call the police on him if he kept trying. So the man who was Daniel's Dad left. 

Daniel was 4 years old when he started to explore the backyard and the forest it lead to, his eyes shining as he saw flowers and butterflies. His true excitement came from the little white, funny shaped rocks he would find. Those became his favorites. They came in lots of different shapes and sizes, so Daniel collected every single one he found and was more careful with them since they broke easily. He put them in a box and counted them all when he got new ones. His Mother taught him last year how to count to twenty but he wasn't sure how to get to the other numbers yet. At least he knew he had more than twenty. 

When Daniel was 6 years old, his mother found his special rock box. She told him they were called bones and that he should put them back where to where they belonged. So, Daniel took the box and put it in the forest, not sure why his Mommy didn't like them very much. When he came back, she was crying a lot and she said she was scared. Daniel gave her a big hug and she hugged him back and said she loved him very much and she was sorry she was so mad earlier. Daniel had already forgiven her but it was much nicer to tell her so and get that happy laugh as a reward. 

Daniel was 7 years old when his Mommy started having nightmares. She'd wake up screaming in the night or sometimes she'd sleep somewhere outside of her bedroom and Daniel would find her and ask her why she wasn't in bed. He was told that she had just fallen asleep in a bad place but Daniel knew that wasn't true. The blue eyed boy heard her get up and walk around a lot from his bedroom, he knew she didn't fall asleep when he did. Daniel didn't tell her that but he wanted to. Maybe it was his imagination, he concluded. His Mommy didn't lie to him that much before. 

Daniel was 8 years old when his Daddy tried to come back. His Mommy was louder than when he had tried the first time and his Daddy was angrier. He hid in his room this time and didn't come out until his Mommy brought him dinner. They had pumpkin pie that night, Daniel's favorite, made up some jokes and his Mommy told him plenty of stories about when she was a little girl and how she used to wear her hair in pigtail braids and wear yellow sundresses. Even if the day had been very scary, Daniel had so much fun that night, he forgot all about it. By the time they'd said, "Ni-ni!", everything felt all better.

Daniel was 9 years old when Mommy looked really, really tired. She had always been tired, since Daniel could remember but now, she hardly spoke anymore. Her nightmares got worse and while she'd still hold Daniel, sometimes, he'd have to say the same thing a lot of times before she heard him. His Mommy would freeze or say something under her breath and it frightened Daniel very much but he tried his best not to tell her that. Daniel knew something was wrong but he was sure it would go away soon. 

Daniel was 10 years old when Mommy yelled at him for the first time. She had never done that before, Daniel knew he would have remembered it. She threw a vase and it almost hit him but he had been quick enough to evade it. It was the worst thing to ever happen in his whole life, at that point. Daniel knew the something that was wrong hadn't gone away. And it was getting worse and worse and his Mommy was becoming a monster. He hid in his room the way he would if it was his Daddy and cried out as many confused and upset tears as he could conjure. Why had his Mommy been so angry with him? Why did she call him John? Why couldn't she make it all better, like how she made him all better? And why couldn't he help her?

Daniel was about to be 11 when he spent most of his time running into the forest and hiding from his Mommy. He didn't trust her anymore. It was a good thing she'd taught him what berries he could eat and what berries were poisonous or too bitter. He hated the dirt that would cake his feet and the branches that tore his clothes and skin. Daniel took the First Aid kit they'd kept for emergencies and managed to clean up and put band-aids wherever it hurt. When he got splinters, he'd do his best not to cry and take care of it but his blue eyes always had water full of emotion spilling out of them. Sometimes his Mommy would call for him like the old Mommy he knew but it was a siren's call because later, it would become the scary screech. She'd walked into the forest a few times, hollering for him and Daniel did everything he could to keep away from her. Thankfully, she never caught him but Daniel had many a close call. Life was miserable and Daniel didn't know why it had to be this way. 

Daniel was 11 when his Mommy left him cookies on the porch. She'd stay inside the house and he'd hear strange noises but instead of making him come inside or calling for him, she left him food. Daniel would always grab it the minute he saw it because he knew that if he didn't, the bad Mommy would smash his plate up and yell that he didn't deserve food if he was going to be a wild animal. If it wasn't cookies, it would be something else, usually from the store put onto a plate for him. Either way, it made Daniel miss his old Mommy more and more. The forest was nice but he preferred the house much more. Dirt and bugs were gross, trees were painful, animals frightened him, nothing was nice about the forest except for the hiding spots he found and the river and riverbanks. Water was always good. It was during one of the times he'd gone for a plate of food when he heard soft sobbing from inside the house. Daniel knew better, he knew he shouldn't go in but it sounded like his Mommy, the Mommy that taught him good things and told him stories about a little girl with braided pigtails and a yellow sundress. Like a Mommy who made pumpkin pie and kept him away from a scary man who didn't love him. Like the Mommy he'd had for so long before he lost her to something he didn't understand. So, he wandered in like the curious baby bunny he was and found her at the kitchen table, face flushed and tear stained. 

"Mommy? What's wrong?" 

She looked up and gasped seeing that dirty, concerned face. Her son's, she reminded herself. That was her baby boy. "I'm alright, Danny. I'm just very, very tired." Daniel's Mommy explained. 

Daniel frowned, walking a little closer to her. He was a little worried she'd yell but she sounded as tired as she said she was. "I'm sorry, Mommy. I should be here to help make you feel better. You sound sick." 

If he only knew. She knew she was sick and that was rare for her to acknowledge. She knew she was sick and it was only going to get worse and worse as years went by. She knew he would get hurt if she let him stay close. She knew he would get hurt if she let herself keep holding onto him. "I am sick, Daniel. I've been sick even before you were born. I thought it would go away but it didn't and I'm so sorry." She knew if she cried, it would scare him. It was hard but she swallowed back the bile in her throat. "You don't know what's wrong and I don't think I do either. But your father, he-he made it worse, not you. It isn't your fault, baby boy. My beautiful angel, Daniel. Those eyes aren't his. They're all yours." 

And it sounded so much like his Mommy that Daniel finally trusted her, ran and clung to her and hugged her because he'd been needing his Mommy back for so long. "I love you, Mommy! I'm sorry I've been running away, but when you yelled at me, I got scared!" He hiccuped and the hand that soothed his back made him cry even more. "I missed you. I missed you so much. You're the only Mommy I have, the only person who loves me. I don't wanna be alone in the forest. I wanna stay inside, with Mommy. I wanna stay with you!" 

Daniel and his Mommy held onto each other for a long time. They hadn't done this in years and neither of them had been so dirty or sad when they had. But it still felt just like before. Like Mommy never yelled, like Daniel never hid in the bushes. It felt like they were whole. 

She knew it wouldn't be this way if he stayed. She knew that tomorrow, she'd leave him the cookies she bought today and smash them if she saw they were still out when she checked. She knew that what he was looking for, she could never give him. There wasn't a way to get better. Not without hurting Daniel, not without leaving him more horrible memories. She didn't want him to spend his life hiding or trying to heal her. He deserved more than that. 

"You've spent all day in the forest, Daniel. Your poor feet look so black and you're covered in bandages." Daniel's Mommy gently touched a few spots, her heart breaking every time he flinched from her touch. "Well, even then, you still look as handsome as you always do. Like the dashing man you'll become someday. You can be whoever you want, you can express yourself in every beautiful way and I swear, Danny, it'll be perfect. You're smart and resourceful and maybe you missed out on school so far but you've already learned so much, even on your own. I can't ask you to take all my hurt away. I never should have let myself think that you or time would make all my problems vanish. I know it's been tough for you, baby boy. Mommy's so sorry it has been. I know that's my fault and I'm gonna make it right. I love you, Daniel. And even if I can't give you hugs and kisses all the time, I'll always love you. That won't go away or be forgotten, it'll stay in your heart and every single bit of you. You'll never stop being my baby. So you'll never start being alone." 

Daniel nodded, feeling much better and much safer than he did in the forest. He let himself lean into the kisses on his head and the arms bringing his head underneath her chin. He let his Mommy show that she still loved him and it was all Daniel wanted. He was so happy. The happiest he could possibly be, Daniel knew. Safe and secure and trusting her again. That was the way things were supposed to be.

Eventually, a yawn slipped out of Daniel's mouth. The rubbing on his back and the warmth and heartbeat his mother provided made him so sleepy. But those shining blue eyes, as much as they fluttered, stayed stubbornly open. He didn't want to sleep and awake to find this had all been nothing but a wonderful dream. Daniel's head leaned onto her and he whined in protest. 

"It's okay, baby boy. Get some sleep." Daniel's mother urged, knowing he was always so tired. She had seen him climb into his room through the window and hit the floor, only to fall asleep there. It reminded her too much of her own horrid sleeping habits. "Mommy will be right here when you wake up. And I promise Daniel, from now on, things will get better." 

Daniel gave one last yawn, a sleepy smile and drooping eye lids adorning his face as he stared up at his Mommy. Things would get better if she said they did, she hadn't said it before so now it must be true. "Ni-ni, Mommy..." He hadn't said it to her in forever and it felt almost magical, especially when he heard her happy laughter as he fell into a deep sleep. 

 

"Forgive me, Daniel. I'm sorry."

 

 

At the of age 11 and a half, Daniel awoke to the sound of sirens. It was dark outside and in the house but red and blue lights illuminated everything. Maybe it was a passing car? It was very annoying. Daniel didn't care though. He had awoken on his Mommy's lap still and wanted to rest just a bit longer, so he snuggled into her. 

But she was cold now. Her hand wasn't rubbing his back anymore, her chin was no longer on his head. Daniel couldn't hear a heartbeat or even those slow inhales and exhales. She was silent. 

Daniel willed himself to ignore it all, as worried as he was becoming when he felt something warm drip onto his thigh. Finally, his eyes opened and his heart stopped. It was a drop of blood, part of a splatter coating his Mommy and himself. It was then he saw the giant slit in her throat and the knife that had been put onto the table in front of them. 

The wail he let out was what had lead the police to him. The sobs that didn't stop, the tiny hands trying futilely to keep a grip on the corpse in the chair, a mop of shining blond hair burying itself on her wound, stained with the red of her blood was all it took to bring help. More sirens went by and as they walked in and tried to talk to him, they were absolutely ignored until they tried to pull him away. He kicked and he screamed and begged to let him go, that this was his home and that was his Mommy and they couldn't do this to him but they did. The apologies and soothing words they tried to provide didn't mean anything to him and he screeched when he saw them putting her in the bag, the large hands on his shoulders being all that held him back. They let him sit in silence in the back of the police car, his voice gone and his mind blank. How did they know to come here? Why? Why didn't they let him stay with her? Why did this have to happen after everything was so amazing, after everything was finally all better? 

His Mommy told him he was never alone, that he had never been alone. And even if she was right, even if there was a Heaven and she was watching over him, Daniel couldn't help but feel cold and hollow and alone. Even as the police car drove away, allowing him one last good look at his home, instead of all those happy memories that came into his mind making him feel good, it just made him start to cry again. 

He could never forgive them for taking her away. He could never forgive himself for falling asleep. But he could forgive Mommy. He always would because he knew, in the end, she had been fading away. He could see it ever since she'd started sleeping in places other than her bed, the light in her eyes fading as if her soul was going away bit by bit. Now it was all gone. 

Daniel's Daddy had left, Daniel's Mommy went away too and Daniel himself was taken away from his home, so he supposed the house was never meant for his family, or him at all. He was very glad he'd never go back. If the house didn't want him that much, he'd stay far, far away. 

Daniel laid his head on the car door and drowned out the voices and sounds around him. He just sat there, emotionless, wordless, his cheeks wet from all the tears. Someday, he promised himself, he'd be happy again but tonight, with Mommy in a bag and Daddy far, far away, his happiness was nowhere to be found.


	2. David's Flowers

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> *SNORTS AWAKE* HUH WASSAP? PEOPLE STILL CARE ABOUT THIS FIC??? OKAY, HERE I GO I GUESS-
> 
> Time for Davie's short backstory! It's somewhat similar to Daniel's but I did that on purpose. Not gonna be even half as sad though-

David's father had been out of the picture ever since he was a baby. To be frank, the man was never in the picture, period and wasn't interested in being anywhere near it. It had always been David and his mother, Lisa. She'd been his only provider, his only role model. She'd refused to give up on him, even before he was born, when everyone had insisted she abort him, she refused. Lisa wanted him to live, she wanted to give him a chance. She never regretted her choice. 

David had been quite the troublemaker after his first few years in a rough elementary school. He'd become snarky, rude, and on top of it all, a bit stuck up. The only person who could talk to him was his mother, who had him apologize when he'd done anything genuinely wrong and think about his actions. 

Slowly, David detached himself from his peers. All the children stayed away because he told them to go. Not because he wanted them to. Not really. He just was scared to have friends, he was scared they would make fun of him if they knew what he really liked. Because a teacher of his, Miss Yern, had caught him playing in the grass one day, using the daisies to make a flower-crown. His mother had taught him how to do it and daisies were David's favorite but Miss Yern said that was bad, that boys didn't make flower chains and wear them on their heads or as a necklace. She said it was bad that he knew how to make them, that he was very bad and weak for doing it, that there was something wrong with him. 

Ever since then, David had attitude, blew people off, or altogether away from him. He couldn't have friends, he couldn't enjoy the things he had fun doing with his mother. It was all so upsetting, frustrating and confusing for the poor boy. 

Camp Campbell got the ball rolling in terms of correcting David's behavior. Bit by bit, he became more comfortable with himself and his interests and shared this with other people. Still, David would hold back and it showed. Any adult who truly cared about children could tell something held him back from being happy. 

On one of his first days of coming back from Camp Campbell, David decided to ask his half awake mother an important question one night. "Mom, is...is liking daisies bad? Miss...Miss Yern said it was bad because I'm a boy." He confessed quietly, having been unable to sleep with those growing thoughts. 

"Oh David, you're a boy but you're also you." Lisa scooped him into her bed, stroking some of his hair back. "Some things will be natural for you, some things do and have come from being a boy but the best parts of you, the most important parts, come from your heart. If there's something in your heart that you really and truly love, something that isn't hurting you or anyone else, you hold on tight to it. If it matters to you Davie, then it's important. If you like daisies, then you like daisies. Miss Yern should know better than to take that happiness away from you. It's not hurting you or anyone, no matter what she says. If she or any of the other teachers tell that to you, tell me right away next time." David's mother held him close, kissing his forehead. "There's nothing wrong with you, Davie. There's nothing wrong with liking daisies." 

David cried quiet tears, clinging to her, clinging to the warmth and comfort. He believed her in that moment. He believed in his passions and her words. That, on top of Camp Campbell, was what finally started turning David into his adult self. The best self he could be. 

He never forgot his mother's words. He never let go of the valuable lessons she taught him. 

So when Daniel appeared at his house one day, rings under his eyes and glaring at him like he'd destroyed his life, David gave him a smile and offered him inside. 

"Wh-What?" Daniel looked shocked, genuinely caught off guard by his friendliness. "Are you an idiot? I came here to get revenge!" 

"Well, you'll get revenge better with food in your stomach. You look like you haven't eaten in weeks!" David frowned, shutting the door behind Daniel as he walked inside. "Let me make you something to eat. Then we can talk about this revenge stuff."


	3. Revenge and Stuff

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> David and Daniel talk about the situation.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'M SO SORRY THESE ARE SO SHORT-
> 
> I'll write longer chapters soon! I just need more motivation and to watch more Camp Camp! Life's been a lil rough lately so I'll try to pump out short chapters ASAP to make up for the lack of content. 
> 
> Thanks a million for the Kudos and Comments! They help get me through bad days and get me back typing!

Daniel did his best to glare at David even with a cup of ice tea and a large plate of chocolate chip cookies sitting in the middle of the coffee table. He did sip out of the straw and take a few of those cookies but it was for strength, obviously. How could he kill David on an empty stomach? 

"So, it's been awhile!" David sat across from him on his couch, having made sure Daniel was comfy on his own. "I wasn't expecting y-" 

"Why?" Daniel asked suddenly with less bite than he intended to have. "Why give me cookies and iced tea even after I told you exactly why I was here? You don't have anyone to convince and your actions won't win me over. So, why all the pleasantry?" 

David frowned before he gave a small, puzzled shrug. "I'm used to making food for anyone who shows up. It's not like I don't like you. Actually, I've been a little worried about you, considering the last time we met you were in an ambulance. I quite honestly thought you'd died or something." He confessed the last part quietly, looking off to the side. 

Was David an absolute moron? To think that the poison would kill him, even if at the time he'd been worried about his own death, did he presume Daniel was that weak? "I didn't ascend at that time, no. My people paid off the medical expenses and then they cast me off. Told me I wasn't good enough to be among the Galactic Confederacy. I swore vengeance on you and your camp but next summer is months away and I have been unfortunately living in unfavorable places in order to survive. After spending too much time in the presence of lunatics, I decided I would find you, kill you and steal your home and identity, both finding a place to stay, getting my opportunity to go back to your camp and winning the favor of the Galactic Confederacy all at once." 

"Oh." David frowned again, looking Daniel over. He was clearly in terrible shape, malnourished, bruised. He swore he saw a few animal bites on his arms and a hole in his pant leg. "I'm so sorry, Daniel. You can stay here as long as you'd like. This house is big, it was meant for some company." He smiled again, taking a sip of his own iced tea. 

Daniel let out a scoff. "I told you what I wanted to do. I explained my entire plan. Are you choosing to ignore it? Do you not see me as a threat?" The blonde felt his whole body shudder, his blood growing cold when he felt tears in his eyes. No. He wasn't that weak, he wasn't going to break down and cry in the presence of his enemy. 

"I see a friend who's been living on the streets for months. Maybe you're going to try and kill me, maybe you won't. But I don't think I could just kick you out or call the police when I know I could do something on my own instead. Something better." David hummed, picking up a soft, warm chocolate chip cookie. "Everyone deserves some kindness." 

This was mind manipulation, brainwashing! It had to be! The Galactic Confederacy had promised to take care of him and they threw him away, his own mother and father threw him away! This random idiot who he'd only met once didn't care about him, couldn't care about him! "You're an idiot." Was all Daniel could choke out, curling up into a defensive ball on the couch. 

"Probably." David agreed in a non committal manner. "But I'm not changing my mind. Stay here as long as you'd like. I'll give you some space and privacy. I'll be in the den if you need me or if you wanna join me." The ginger got up, taking only his iced tea with him and moved past the kitchen, into the next room, turning on the TV to a nature documentary. 

Daniel sniffled, using his arm to try and wipe away stray tears. This all felt so good. It was warm in this house, safe in this house. No animals, no one chasing him down or threatening him or staring at him like he was a creature. David had been nice but he hadn't dehumanized him like everyone else. "I can't kill him yet. I'll just-I'll use him. For my own gain." He rambled as he started forming a new plan, picking up another cookie. "I'll live with David, gain his trust and when summer comes around, I'll betray him. That's better than even slaying him now. Perhaps I could get him to accept Xeemüg. Purify him before then. Yes." Daniel nodded to himself, deciding this was a much better idea. "Soon, David will realize how huge of a mistake this was. And I will have my revenge."


	4. System Shock

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> David and Daniel watch TV until Daniel is reminded of terrible things.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> /LIST OF WARNINGS AT THE END OF THE NOTES/
> 
> Just like the first chapter, I found old writing and stripped it bare, fixed it up and made it for Danny. You can tell cause it's like, 10x longer than the other chapters. It would be so much easier to RP all this business but I don't have any Camp Camp rp partners right now! I have Hetalia ones, a Cuphead one, even some other stuff but no Camp Camp rp partners, which sucks! Oh well. I'll do my best to finish this all on my own and actually find the motivation to use things I wrote for this specific story! 
> 
> Danny did not have a good childhood and Davey is gonna have to help Daniel if he ever wants him to integrate back into society// I feel really bad writing a torture scene but I also feel like most people don't talk about the fact that cults and other horrible groups tend to hurt children to manipulate them properly. I could only imagine Daniel would be one of those unfortunate people. Also, why does anyone like this fic??? I need to change the summary or at least modify it a bit so people understand that the beginning is literally Daniel recovering from his fucked up experiences. 
> 
> HUGE WARNING FOR: Detailed shock torture and the bodily reaction to it, a panic attack, and disgusting brainwashing tactics

Two weeks passed without much trouble.

Daniel would let David babble on about things, ate when David asked him to, bathed when David offered the shower. Daniel didn't speak much, he simply accepted the help because that was what he'd done all his younger life. Except David had no control over him, not really. Daniel was just going to use him until he regained his strength and was able to stabilize enough to form a proper plan. He'd tried before but his body pains kept distracting him, his mind kept wandering. After two weeks, Daniel was finally starting to feel like his old self again. He wasn't well enough to try and put on the friendly facade he knew would please David and really, was there much of a point considering David had seen him fresh off the streets? No. He'd wait until he was absolutely ready to put on a face 24/7, trick David and then finally have his revenge. 

It was two good weeks of warm food, a real bed and clothing devoid of holes. Daniel tried not to think about how grateful he should act but there was a cold feeling scraping up his spine with every time David smiled at him. A feeling Daniel knew was his own fault but swallowed down. A member of the Galactic Confederacy wasn't so weak as to let the negative toxins swirling around to make him fall for an outsider's influence. Daniel was a member, he was going to be a member again, he wouldn't let this side step overtake everything he worked so hard to achieve. 

However, during one particularly warm day, something occurred that Daniel hadn't anticipated in the slightest. 

David had been watching television and Daniel had been eating the lunch David made him at the table, the both of them quiet enough so that the device filled up the house with it's sound. Some sort of quiz show came on, one where the player was expected to know the answers to ridiculous things. 

Daniel listened for the question, not sure why it even mattered so much to him but he whispered answers to himself and was pleased when the sweet little dings of the "Correct Bell" went off. These players seemed to be doing quite well and Daniel found himself in an inexplicably good mood when all of a sudden, an "Incorrect Buzzer" went off and he was thrown headfirst into a memory. 

•••

Daniel was blindfolded and gagged. Somehow, he'd been strapped down to a chair as well and when he awoke and realized something terrible was occurring, he squirmed and tried to screech for help behind his gag, unable to comprehend his situation. 

A voice came from the left side of the room, appearing to try and soothe him. "Hey, hey, it's alright, love. No need to struggle. You're going to be fine as long as you listen carefully." He was a male, a calm and concerned sounding one at that.

Daniel's head helplessly tried to search the room around him in terror, soft whimpers pouring from her throat. He couldn't see or communicate beyond his muffled noises and it was making him all the more anxious. Where was the nice people who'd taken him to his room? Where was he? And why could he only hear the man from his left ear?

"It's alright, you haven't gone deaf in this ear. We can only communicate into one of your ears and while I have your right, my partner has your left." An authoritative sounding woman explained, not nearly as warm as the man had been.

Daniel relaxed his body, sighing out of his nose as he attempted to calm himself, still panicked beyond belief. He had a moderate amount of luck, taking in a deep breath before releasing it slowly, his eyes half lidded behind the mask as he finally regained some control. 

"That'a boy," Left encouraged. "I promise, this will be over very soon if you keep that up. We're only going to ask you some questions and all you have to do is nod your head yes or shake your head no. If you answer correctly, we'll let you go. Nod if you got that, buddy." 

Daniel nodded, his hands gripping the wooden chair as hard as he could, sweat appearing on his exposed face. He inhaled and exhaled slowly, shakily in the hopes that this would end soon. Maybe he could have more of those cookies and punch he'd been promised if he was good. Right now, he could only hope. 

"Alright. First question, are you a boy?" Right inquired, not having skipped a beat. She sounded so detached from it all, as if she had done this a million times already and wanted to be efficient to get it over with. 

Daniel nodded quickly and received a, "Good boy." from Left. This made him smile to himself, proud that he had managed to answer the question correctly, even if it was extremely simple. 

"Next question, are you a blond?" Right continued, now a tad more bored than she had been before.

Daniel nodded yet again, slower as he seemed to be assured that he was going to be just fine. If every question was this easy, he had nothing to fear! He quietly hoped to God that it would. 

"Good boy, keep it up," Left praised, seemingly very pleased with how he'd been doing so far.

"Third question, do you have any friends?"

Daniel nodded with plenty of confidence, thinking that he had but stopped abruptly as he began to convulse and let out a spine tingling scream. Even with him being attached to the chair, his back arched, both eyes rolling back as his body was filled with horrid wave after wave of electricity. His hands mindlessly gripped the chair he was receiving the shocks from, unable to help it as he sought an object to anchor him. Once it was over, he fell back into his seat, tears streaming as he attempted to curl up, clearly terrified after his experience. 

"Fourth question, do you have a family?" 

Daniel nodded again before another screech escaped his mouth, teeth sinking into the gag as he attempted to lift himself out of the chair. However, clearly unable to escape, he instead cried out helplessly and wet himself, tear filled eyes searching the ceiling for anything, anyone that could help him. His Mommy, his Daddy, even God, he called out to all of them as best as he could, pleading they'd come and save him from this Hell. 

Once it was over, his body fell back into place as it had last time, head going forward as fingers and toes twitched and the overwhelming sounds of several bodily fluids dripping onto the floor along with his catching his ragged, broken breath filled the room. His skull buzzed with pain, his spine tingled from what felt like left over energy and cramps forming. 

"Fifth question, are you truly happy?" There was something different about Right's voice. As if she somehow found enjoyment now that Daniel had been shocked. 

Daniel hesitantly shook his head, but soon shook it much quicker as his body was once again subjected to the shocks, his little teeth grinding hard enough to tear the gag. With the pieces falling to the floor and onto his thighs, sobs poured out of his mouth along with pleading gibberish before it ended once again, his body landing with a hard thud and splash back onto the chair, his chest rising and falling as drool and foam poured out of his mouth. He tried to speak with a mouth full of saliva before throwing up on himself and the floor, coating his already urine soaked legs. "Mamais comin to heeelp, pleeease! Ihhh...cannot...can't take this annnnmmore..." Daniel shook his head feebly as it fell back onto the chair, rivers of drool bubbling out of his mouth with fresh tears adding themselves to the mix.

Distantly, he could hear voices, most of them muttering something about having to put him with Class C but one stood out, strangely human amongst the sea of emotionless statements. 

•••

"DANIEL!" 

Daniel blinked to find himself on the floor, his vision blurred with tears and his body shaking. He was so confused as to what was going on, he didn't even recognize David's voice. This wasn't the first time he'd been in this position, that he somehow knew. Everything else was a blur that refused to focus itself. 

"Daniel, can you hear me? I need you to breathe. I need you to talk to me, if you can. I'll call an ambulance if I have to but-" 

"N-No." Daniel found the word ambulance made him very nervous. His voice was small and scratchy, his hands reaching out for something to grip onto. When he found another hand, Daniel immediately gripped onto it, his eyes shut as he trembled. "No more. No more please." 

David frowned deeply, reaching out with his free hand to gently nudge Daniel's head up to his face. "Look at me, Daniel. I'm not going to hurt you. No one is going to hurt you anymore." He willed himself to be as gentle and calm as he could. Seeing Daniel like this made David's stomach clench. With the way Daniel had described the "Galactic Confederacy", David had wondered before if they'd done anything to really scar him. Now he knew they had. 

Daniel whimpered, staring up into the man's eyes in confusion and fear. He didn't know who this was, his voice didn't sound familiar but he sounded nice. Kind of like Mommy. That made him calmer but it only lasted for a moment as he could hear the buzzer go off on the TV again, causing him to wail. "NO MORE, I DIDN'T DO ANYTHING WRONG, IT'S NOT MY FAULT, IT'D NOT MY FAULT!" He curled up, screaming into the floor, feeling a burn that shouldn't have been there, that he didn't deserve. 

David's eyes widened before he let go of Daniel's hand, racing over to the couch at a speed he didn't know he could move at and turning off the TV with his remote. Once he was done, he turned back, ready to tend to Daniel when he found himself in a tight hug, shocked by the sudden movement. 

"Don't leave me alone!" Daniel sobbed, his fingers pressing into David's back. "Everyone else hurts me, everyone else makes me do bad-bad things! I don't want-don't want-" He hiccuped, stuck in that 12 year old's mindset, the one desperately seeing a guardian to protect him. 

David eased the two of them onto the couch, hushing Daniel gently. "It's okay. You're safe with me, Daniel." David had already grown attached to his buddy and with the additional knowledge that there were parts of his mind that needed to be repaired or at least recognized, David found himself feeling overly protective. No matter what, he was going to help Daniel, take care of him and make whatever happened right. Some part of him nagged that he should get a professional involved but considering the state Daniel was in right now, he had an inclination that the blonde wouldn't want to see any intimidating adult figures. Or so he assumed. David decided to play it safe, hold Daniel and let him cry. "It's alright, Daniel. They won't hurt you anymore." 

That was a promise.


End file.
